System and method for product delivery

ABSTRACT

A system and method for delivering a product such as a pharmacy bottle from a conveyor system to a delivery container via a delivery chute. A sensor is placed at a top opening of the chute to sense for product in the chute area and to provide instructions to complete the delivery order if the chute area is clear.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Nonprovisional applicationSer. No. 14/067,639, filed on Oct. 30, 2013 titled SYSTEM AND METHOD FORPRODUCT DELIVERY, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/720,071, filed on Oct. 30, 2012, titled ScriptPack Bottle Chute, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate generally to asystem and method for product, order or container delivery. While anexemplary embodiment may be particularly useful for transporting atleast one vial order or container to a desired destination, other typesof products not limited to vial orders or containers may be deliveredvia an exemplary system and method.

An exemplary embodiment may be particularly useful for the delivery ofpharmacy orders or containers. A pharmacy vial or bottle is one exampleof a pharmacy order or container. Nevertheless, other types of deliverysystems may also benefit from exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention.

In a known delivery system for pharmacy containers, the production rateand efficiency is hampered by manual operations. For example, a humanoperator may be required to pick a pharmacy product or container from aconveyor one at a time and then manually process it for packing. Thepicked product or container is then manually scanned before being addedto a package (e.g., a delivery bag or box). After the package is filledin this manner, the operator then seals the package. This process isinefficient and susceptible to operator error in selecting the wrongcontainer. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved delivery systemand method that improves efficiency and production rates. A need alsoexists for an improved delivery system and method that minimizesoperator error.

An exemplary embodiment may satisfy some or all of the aforementionedneeds. An exemplary embodiment may comprise a chute in association witha conveyor. The chute is adapted to receive product from the conveyor.The chute is then adapted to transfer the product to a packing systemsuch as a delivery bag or box. Accordingly, an exemplary embodiment mayalso include a packing system adapted to receive product from the chute.Another exemplary embodiment includes a related method for delivery. Inan exemplary embodiment, the method comprises conveying a product on aconveyor; and transferring the product from the conveyor to a chute. Themethod may further comprise the step of delivering the product to apacking system via the chute. As such, an exemplary embodiment mayimprove efficiency and production rates and also limit or eliminateoperator error.

In addition to the novel features and advantages mentioned above, otherbenefits will be readily apparent from the following descriptions of thedrawings and exemplary embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a system ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the delivery system ofthe present invention;

FIG. 3 is another embodiment of the chute system of the presentinvention without a roof portion;

FIG. 4 is one embodiment of the photo eye sensor base;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the photo eye sensor base of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a is a top view of the photo eye sensor base of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of the sensor placed at the chuteopening.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT(S)

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are directed to a systemand method for delivering a product. Exemplary embodiments areparticularly useful for delivering a pharmacy bottle, which may also beknown as a vial. An order having multiple bottles can be deliveredtogether via the system. The multiple bottles may be delivered in adelivery container such a bag, box or carton. However, other exemplaryembodiments may be useful for delivering different types of productsunless clearly set forth otherwise.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a system for delivering a product such as apharmacy bottle or order. In this exemplary embodiment, the system iscomprised of conveyor 10 that is in association with a chute 20.Conveyor 10 is adapted to convey at least one product to the chute. Theproduct is preferably held at the top of the chute area (e.g., held viaa latch mechanism shown generally at 30) until the system is ready torelease the product down the chute and into the bag (or other deliverycomponent such as a box) below. Once the vials are released, the chute20 is then adapted to deliver the product(s) to a bag located at thebottom 40 of the chute.

In an exemplary embodiment, chute 20 is substantially perpendicularlyconnected to conveyor 10. In other words, the direction of travel ofconveyor 10 is substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel ofchute 20 in such embodiments. In other embodiments, chute 20 may beconnected to conveyor 10 at any suitable angle and in any suitablemanner.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of the delivery system 40 of thepresent invention. In the preferred embodiment, as the product is ridingalong the conveyor system towards the delivery chute, the product isscanned (preferably via a barcode reader 50 place on the conveyorsystem). The details of the product scanned (for example, order number,order contents, packaging and/or delivery instructions) are then storedin the system and preferably transmitted to a control system 80 and aprocessing station 75 where the chute is located. The processing systempreferably includes a printer or labeler 60 for printing out documentsassociated with the product being delivered on the conveyor system. Forexample, because the product has been scanned as it travels along theconveyor system, the processing station knows that the product is aboutto arrive at the chute delivery location and that associated paperwork(e.g., prescription information and instructions, and deliveryinformation) can be printed out for placement into the delivery bag orbox located at the bottom of the chute.

In one embodiment, there is a sensor 70 (e.g., infrared) located at theprinter location that senses when the paper documents associated withthe product order has been picked up for placement into the delivery bagor box. Upon sensing this occurrence, the system is programmed torelease the product (e.g., vial order) so that it may be delivered bythe chute to the delivery bag or box located at the bottom of the chute.Once the product, and associated documentation, has been placed into thedelivery bag or box, the worker at the location can manually seal thepackage for delivery to the intended customer. The system then knowsthat this delivery order has been completed and updates the system.

An exemplary embodiment of a delivery system may further include apacking system adapted to receive a product from chute 20. Accordingly,an exemplary embodiment of the packing system may comprise theaforementioned package, which is adapted to receive product from chute20. An exemplary embodiment of a packing system may also be adapted tocommunicate with conveyor 10 and/or chute 20.

As a result of the chute in association with the conveyor, greaterautomation of a delivery and packing process may be achieved. In oneexemplary embodiment, conveyor 10 may be connected to chute 20 such thatchute 20 is adapted to automatically deliver the product to the packageor packing system. Other exemplary embodiments may offer greaterautomation as compared to a typical packing operation that requires anoperator to manually pick a product from the conveyor and place it in apackage.

In an exemplary embodiment, conveyor 10 is adapted to group apredetermined number of the product at a predetermined location untilthe predetermined number of the product are ready to be released to thechute 20. For example, a plurality of the product may be grouped at apredetermined location until a signal is received to release the groupto chute 20. However, in some embodiments, a conveyor may be adapted tosequentially deliver a single product to the chute.

In an exemplary embodiment, conveyor 10 is adapted to receive at leastone signal from the control system, which indicates that thepredetermined number of the product are ready to be released to chute20. In one example, the control system may be adapted to send a signalto conveyor 10 when the delivery bag or box is in place to receive theproduct and the operator has placed that associated order paperwork inthe package. In such example, the control system may automatically sendthe signal to conveyor 10 when the delivery bag or box is ready.Alternatively, an operator may initiate the sending of the signal by thecontrol system to the conveyor 10 when the delivery bag or box is readyto receive the product.

After conveyor 10 delivers the product to chute 20, an example of chute20 may be adapted to transfer the product (e.g., the aforementionedpredetermined number of the product or a single product) to a positionabove an opening of the delivery bag or box. From this position, eachproduct may be automatically or manually scanned before being added tothe delivery bag or box. The product may be released to the delivery bagor box singly or as a group. An example of chute 20 may include scanningcapability, or an example of the system may include an automatic ormanual system for scanning product released from the chute. Thereafter,in an exemplary embodiment, an operator may initiate sealing or closingof the delivery bag or box once the necessary product has been placedtherein. In an alternative embodiment, the packing system mayautomatically seal or close the delivery bag or box once full.

In other exemplary embodiments, the chute may be adapted to deliver theproduct to the delivery bag or box without stopping the product. In suchan embodiment, the product may be automatically or manually scannedbefore entering the chute, or the product may be automatically scannedwhile traveling through the chute.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the chute system of the presentinvention without a roof portion. Instead, the top is open. Removing theroof helps to keep bottles from jamming and reducing the risk of ordersgetting into the wrong groups. Removing the roof helps to prevent thevials from getting stuck between the conveyor and the chute and jamming.With the roof removed, operators can spot vial jams right away and fixthe problem faster because visibility is much greater. The absence of aroof further removes another obstacle that was likely to cause a jam.Opening the chute accommodates erratic vial behavior, eliminating jamsand still sends the correct vials into the correct containers.

FIG. 4 is one embodiment of the photo eye sensor base (looking up thechute with no sensor installed). FIG. 5 is a side view of the photo eyesensor base of FIG. 4 (looking into the top opening of the chute). FIG.6 is a is a top view of the photo eye sensor base of FIG. 4; FIG. 7illustrates another angle of one embodiment of the sensor placed at thechute opening (showing the sensor generally at 104 and a vial comingdown the conveyor entering the chute opening).

In one embodiment of the invention, the delivery system is comprised of:a conveyor adapted to convey a product; a chute adapted to receive theproduct from the conveyor, and wherein the chute has a top opening 100for receiving the product from the conveyor and a bottom opening 102;wherein the chute is adapted to deliver the product to a deliverycontainer; a scanner located on the conveyor for scanning the product asit passes on the conveyor; a sensor 104 attached at the top opening ofthe chute configured to point down the length of the chute for detectingfor the presence of the product; a processing system in communicationwith the control system, the processing system programmed with one ormore software routines executing on the processing system to: 1) receiveproduct information about the product; 2) to receive data from thesensor; and 3) provide instructions to complete the delivery order ifthe chute area is clear.

In one embodiment, the delivery system is configured with an end portion106 placed near the bottom opening of the chute for guiding the productcoming out of the chute into the delivery bag or box. The end portionpreferably has a curved portion 108 towards its top portion for ensuringthe product moves down into the delivery bag or box. This allows theaccommodation of different vial behaviors—standing, falling, activelyrotating, etc.—while still guiding the vials to their containers withoutincident. The location (e.g., height) of the rounded curve is placed soit does not interfere with these behaviors. The overall openness letsthe operator see into the device, ensuring the absence of jams. In thisembodiment, nothing obstructs the vial's fall, so it can behave in anymanner along the chute while avoiding jams.

The rounded curve of the end portion located at the bottom of the chuteallows enough clearance for vials to act as erratically as necessarywithout hitting the curve and jamming. The curve is placed andconfigured to drive the bottle downward regardless of a vial's behavior.In other words, it accommodates more unruly, unexpected activity andstill pushes the vial down. This helps to remove hang-up points for thevials.

In one embodiment, the delivery system has a first adjustable bracket110 attached to a first side of the chute at the bottom opening of thechute and a second adjustable bracket 112 attached to the second side ofthe chute at the bottom opening of the chute, the first and secondadjustable brackets having slots 113 for allowing adjustment of thechute opening. A user can adjust how far the first and second adjustablebrackets extend out from the bottom opening of the chute. In thepreferred embodiment, the end portion is adjustably attached to thefirst and second adjustable brackets and wherein a user can adjust theheight of the end portion. The slots allow maintenance personnel toadjust height as well as distance outward. The slide portion allowsup-and-down movement so the operator can maintain more fine control ofwhere the vial comes out and hits the container. In one embodiment ofthe chute is made of black ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) whilethe brackets are comprised of clear acrylic.

In one embodiment of the invention, the sensor is housed in a sensorbase 114 attached to chute, and wherein the sensor base has a top plate116 for guiding the product as it comes off the conveyor into the chute.In the preferred embodiment, the top plate is adjustable to move alongthe top of the sensor base. The sensor base preferably has adjustableslots 118 for engaging fastener means that allow the sensor base to beadjusted to accommodate sensor range. The sensor base is adapted to beadjusted so that it can be moved closer or farther away from the topopening of the chute. In one embodiment of the invention, the chute hasan open top to allow visibility of the product moving through the chute.

In the preferred embodiment, the sensor points down toward the bracketsto make sure the chute is clear. In one embodiment, the sensor is acommon “photo eye.” It is mounted on a 3D-printed base that also servesas a mechanism to smoothly transition vials from the conveyor onto thechute. The sensor base also can be adjusted to accommodate the photoeye's sensor range. In other words, it can move closer to or fartheraway from the end of the chute as needed. As such, this piece ofequipment could be considered either part of the controls system or theprocessing system. In other words, in one embodiment, it is the samesensor system that carries the signal from the printer noting documentshave been removed, as well as the same system that receives the signalfrom the vial chute sensor to know whether the area is clear. (If thearea is not clear, the sensor will not allow the bag to be sealed.) Theentire photo eye sensor base is preferably adjustable via a movable barthat's bolted onto the conveyor frame. Note that each chute on theconveyor line can be a different size because of all of the differentconfigurations on the line itself. Each chute is preferably adjustableto accommodate those variations on the conveyor line.

Any embodiment of the present invention may include any of the optionalor preferred features of the other embodiments of the present invention.The exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are not intended to beexhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope of the invention. Theexemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain theprinciples of the present invention so that others skilled in the artmay practice the invention. Having shown and described exemplaryembodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art willrealize that many variations and modifications may be made to thedescribed invention. Many of those variations and modifications willprovide the same result and fall within the spirit of the claimedinvention. It is the intention, therefore, to limit the invention onlyas indicated by the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A delivery system comprising: a conveyor adaptedto convey a product; a chute having an open top to allow visibility ofthe product moving through the chute and wherein the chute is adapted toreceive the product from the conveyor, and wherein the chute has a topopening for receiving the product from the conveyor and a bottomopening; wherein the chute is adapted to deliver the product to adelivery container; a scanner located on the conveyor for scanning theproduct as it passes on the conveyor; a control system for communicatingwith the scanner for obtaining information about the product; a printer;a release mechanism located at the top opening of the chute for holdingthe product at the opening until the system is ready to release theproduct into the chute for delivery; a sensor attached at the topopening of the chute configured to point down the length of the chutefor detecting for the presence of the product; a processing system incommunication with the control system and the printer, the processingsystem programmed with one or more software routines executing on theprocessing system to: 1) receive product information about the product;2) instruct the printer to print out documents having productinformation about the product; 3) instruct the delivery system torelease the product into the chute for delivery; 4) update the deliverysystem when the product has been released for delivery; 5) receive datafrom the sensor and to provide instructions to complete the deliveryorder if the chute area is clear.
 2. The delivery system of claim 1wherein the product is a pharmacy bottle.
 3. The delivery system ofclaim 1 wherein the chute is adapted to automatically deliver theproduct to the delivery container.
 4. The delivery system of claim 1wherein the conveyor is adapted to group a predetermined number of theproduct at a predetermined location until the predetermined number ofthe product are ready to be released to the chute.
 5. The deliverysystem of claim 4 wherein the delivery system is adapted to receive atleast one signal from the control system indicating that thepredetermined number of the product are ready to be released to thechute.
 6. The delivery system of claim 4 wherein the chute is adapted totransfer the predetermined number of the product to a position above anopening of the delivery container.
 7. The delivery system of claim 6wherein the chute is adapted to release the predetermined number of theproduct into the delivery container.
 8. A delivery system comprising: aconveyor adapted to convey a product; a chute adapted to receive theproduct from the conveyor, and wherein the chute has a top opening forreceiving the product from the conveyor and a bottom opening; a releasemechanism located at the top opening of the chute for holding theproduct at the opening until the system is ready to release the productinto the chute for delivery; wherein the chute is adapted to deliver theproduct to a delivery container; a scanner located on the conveyor forscanning the product as it passes on the conveyor; a control system forcommunicating with the scanner for obtaining information about theproduct; a sensor attached in the chute at the top opening of the chuteconfigured to point down the length of the chute for detecting for thepresence of the product; a processing system in communication with thecontrol system, the processing system programmed with one or moresoftware routines executing on the processing system to: 1) receiveproduct information about the product; 2) to receive data from thesensor; and 3) provide instructions to complete the delivery order ifthe chute area is clear.
 9. A delivery system according to claim 8,further comprising an end portion placed near the bottom opening of thechute for guiding the product coming out of the chute into the deliverycontainer.
 10. A delivery system according to claim 9, wherein the endportion has a curved portion towards the top portion for ensuring theproduct moves down into the delivery container.
 11. A delivery systemaccording to claim 9, having a first adjustable bracket attached to afirst side of the chute at the bottom opening of the chute and a secondadjustable bracket attached to the second side of the chute at thebottom opening of the chute, the first and second adjustable bracketshaving slots for allowing adjustment of the chute opening.
 12. Adelivery system according to claim 11, wherein a user can adjust how farthe first and second adjustable brackets extend out from the bottomopening of the chute.
 13. A delivery system according to claim 11,wherein the end portion is adjustably attached to the first and secondadjustable brackets and wherein a user can adjust the height of the endportion.
 14. A delivery system according to claim 8, wherein the sensoris housed in a sensor base attached to chute, and wherein the sensorbase has a top plate for guiding the product as it comes off theconveyor into the chute.
 15. A delivery system according to claim 14,wherein the sensor base has adjustable slots adapted to allow the sensorbase to be adjustable to accommodate sensor range.
 16. A delivery systemaccording to claim 15, wherein the sensor base is adapted to be adjustedso that it can be moved closer or farther away from the top opening ofthe chute.
 17. A delivery system according to claim 8, wherein the chutehas an open top to allow visibility of the product moving through thechute.
 18. A delivery system comprising: a conveyor adapted to convey aproduct; a chute adapted to receive the product from the conveyor, andwherein the chute has a top opening for receiving the product from theconveyor and a bottom opening; wherein the chute is adapted to deliverthe product to a delivery container; a scanner located on the conveyorfor scanning the product as it passes on the conveyor; a sensor attachedat the top opening of the chute configured to point down the length ofthe chute for detecting for the presence of the product; a processingsystem in communication with the control system, the processing systemprogrammed with one or more software routines executing on theprocessing system to: 1) receive product information about the product;2) to receive data from the sensor; and 3) provide instructions tocomplete the delivery order if the chute area is clear.
 19. A deliverysystem according to claim 18, further comprising a control system forcommunicating with the scanner for obtaining information about theproduct.
 20. A delivery system according to claim 18, further comprisingan end portion placed near the bottom opening of the chute for guidingthe product coming out of the chute into the delivery container.
 21. Adelivery system according to claim 20, wherein the end portion has acurved portion towards its top portion for ensuring the product movesdown into the delivery container.
 22. A delivery system according toclaim 20, having a first adjustable bracket attached to a first side ofthe chute at the bottom opening of the chute and a second adjustablebracket attached to the second side of the chute at the bottom openingof the chute, the first and second adjustable brackets having slots forallowing adjustment of the first and second adjustable brackets.
 23. Adelivery system according to claim 22, wherein a user can adjust how farthe first and second adjustable brackets extend out from the bottomopening of the chute.
 24. A delivery system according to claim 22,wherein the end portion is adjustably attached to the first and secondadjustable brackets and wherein a user can adjust the height of the endportion.
 25. A delivery system according to claim 18, wherein the sensoris housed in a sensor base attached to chute, and wherein the sensorbase has a top plate for guiding the product as it comes off theconveyor into the chute.
 26. A delivery system according to claim 25,where the top plate is adjustable to move along the top of the sensorbase.
 27. A delivery system according to claim 25, wherein the sensorbase has adjustable slots adapted to allow the sensor base to beadjusted to accommodate sensor range.
 28. A delivery system according toclaim 27, wherein the sensor base is adapted to be adjusted so that itcan be moved closer or farther away from the top opening of the chute.29. A delivery system according to claim 18, wherein the chute has anopen top to allow visibility of the product moving through the chute.